Jennifer Love Hewitt is Skinny(ier) - You Should Be, Too

Apparently congrats are in order for Ghost Whisperer actress Jennifer Love Hewitt because she has shed the few, apparently 'unsightly,' pounds that stunned the world when she had the audacity to show up at a beach in a bikini about a year ago. It was a real controversy, indeed. How could the typically very slender J-Love let herself go in such a way? It was tragic! Major news outlets around the globe even reported on it (Fox News, CNN, Chicago Tribune, etc.). Devastating.

In case you missed it ladies and gentlemen, that was sarcasm.

Jennifer Love Hewitt was not a fan of having unflattering - not to mention invasive! - pictures of her splattered all over the world (rightfully so) and so she decided to lose the weight "for health reasons" (at least that was her claim initially). Now that she's lost the weight, however, she celebrates by gracing the cover of the oh-so-health-conscious SHAPE Magazine (key articles in her month's issue: "Bye Bye Belly Flab", "Take An Inch Off Your Hips", etc.). No mention of the increased health benefits in the article - just that she has more confidence as she walks through the world.

I have no problem with weight loss, looking nice or trying to be healthier. My problem is with the air-brushed, unrealistic standards by which women (JL Hewitt included) torture, er set for, themselves. What a shame. Most women are so busy gawking at the mirror as they suck in their stomach and sigh that they miss the big picture.

Who does GOD say you are? What does your husband say about you? (only for those married) How are you doing leading other women/girls to major on the majors in life (honoring God, worshipping Him, loving others, caring for their families, etc.)?

TRUTH: Women openly insult this Hollywood culture ("a size 2 isn't fat!"), then like JLH go home and stare at the mirror in disgust. Those that are losing weight or staying trim do so (almost always) for feeling better about themselves than actual health reasons. That breaks my heart. Women miss it, time and time again! Sadder, yet, is that every woman KNOWS that looks eventually fade, but instead of focusing on the things that matter they spend their "youth" (teens-50's) trying to: (1) remain young looking/beautiful, (2) keep from looking older (one of my teen girls one time told me, in her own words, "ugggh I never want to get old. If I were ugly I'd kill myself." While she were semi-joking, the truth in that statement is unmistakable), or (3) turn back the clock ("hide those wrinkles, hide that cellulite, wear what's fashionable - just like those Sex and the City girls, and flaunt it while you got it!").

Women/Teens, checkout the following passages on the beauty of a real woman. Trust me, Hollywood, personal trainers, and Supermodels have NOTHING on this!!!

Proverbs 31:25-31 (The Virtuous Woman/Wife)

Titus 2:3-5

WOMEN, HUSBANDS, TEENS and especially PARENTS: There is no one way to combat this epidemic that is plaguing this body-obsessed culture. A few things to consider though: (1) in complementing our daughters, do we spend more time talking of their beauty or their virtue?, (2) Moms, do you teach a hypocritical/contradictory message (tell your daughter not to obsess about her looks, but then she watches you spend hours getting ready and worrying about your body image or reading magazines that focus on the shallowness of a woman)?, (3) Husbands, as much as you compliment your wife on her stunning beauty, do you take time to honor her for the amazing woman of God that she is? (4) Do your children/teens hear you (dads) compliment their mom with words of honor, praise and value for her virtue?

Want to join the conversation? Click here to comment or ask a question!

Image borrowed from: wallpapersmania.com
________________________

It's Not About Being Good

In our do-good American culture, our love for God compels us to teach our kids that a major part of being a Christian is being a “good person”; however, this lesson is usually very misguided.

There are plenty of good people (though “good” is actually a relative term… but that’s a whole different entry for another day) who are not believers. So what distinguishes us (Christians) from the rest of the good people? What makes us distinctly Christian? Is it our good deeds? No, but this is the sort of thing we unintentionally teach our children when we tell them to be good people.

We are often do so well at focusing on being good, that we unintentionally camouflage our faith from the world! Then when people look at us and say “he/she is a good person” and their words of praise are all about us, not the One who changed our hearts.

Case in point: My wife and I were talking about her work place and discussing who might be followers of Christ. When it came down to it, she really did not know because of how incognito the believers seemed to be. Even many of those who she knew were Christians seemed to be in hiding, only revealing their faith in their good deeds. The only real way to know for sure was to ask them.

I'm not saying we should be people who do not do or teach good. However, when our "good" is the only measurable tool the public has to go on for determining our faith, it is DANGEROUS ground.

So What Should We Do/Teach?

There is a great part in the movie Fireproof that is a good illustration of how we ought to function in our work places and how people ought to know us. Kirk Cameron’s character (a non-Christian firefighter) is talking with another non-Christian firefighter about life and death. Without giving you the whole conversation, suffice it to say that Kirk’s character mentioned another firefighter in their unit who is a very strong believer and works hard to make that known by his words, actions, and lifestyle. He said (referencing the Christian firefighter) “what he believes may be hard to believe, but you got to admit - he’s the real deal.”

Our lessons to our kids and lifestyles ought to reflect the words of John Piper who states that believers ought to seek to “make much of Christ.” This doesn’t mean we go around saying “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…”, but what it does mean is that we intentionally seek to make MUCH of Him in our lives.

• When people come to us for advice, we share with them from Scripture.

• When we make decisions on life, we try to look at this life through the lens of Scripture (in other words, we develop a Biblical Worldview).

• We don’t live self righteous lives (“I’m less of a sinner than so-and-so” or “at least I go to church” or “I am a good person…”), but instead practice GRACE. We don’t seek to get “what’s mine” or “what’s due to me” but instead serve, love and give regardless of who notices (and do so with absolute joy)!

• We seek to be intentional in loving God! Too often we set out to love God only if it is convenient, then justify ourselves in front of the world when we fall short (“No one’s perfect”). As DC Talk once said on one of their albums… “that is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Teaching good behavior alone is not Biblical. Teaching "do right", alone, is not Biblical. We do "good" things as a way of worshiping. We ought to be living daily to make much of Christ and teaching children to live the same way!

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see - such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16, emphasis mine)

Want to join the conversation? Click here to comment or ask a question!